These words from director Joachim Schlese reflect jazz fans’ hopes in Dresden and Saxony for something resembling a Dixieland festival. After almost 50 years, a successful tradition seemed forced to give way to a virus.

“Our festival moved to May 2021,” says founder and director Joachim Schlese, “but a mini-festival will now take place in the capital of Dixieland.” After months of waiting, fans can finally hear traditional jazz and boogie-woogie again.

Sports reporter René Kindermann (MDR Fernsehen, Das Erste) hosts his first festival event that morning. With Carmen Schlese he recalls entertaining, informative and engaging memories of almost 50 festival years and jazz’s arrival in Dresden. Founder and director Joachim Schlese joins the conversation to preview the 50th INTERNATIONALES DIXIELAND FESTIVAL 2021.

DIXIELAND Familien-BBQ
Sunday, 30 August 2020 | 11:00–14:00 (doors: 10:00)
Seebühne Dresden in the Ostra-Areal

Performers: J.J.Jazzmen & Barbora Vagnerova (Prague), Sunshine Brass (Suhl), Dan Popek (Hamburg)
Enjoy J.J.Jazzmen and vocalist Barbora Vagnerova from Prague, the distinctive Sunshine Brass from Suhl and Hamburg’s Dan Popek, a 2019 festival award winner. Master chef Mario Pattis provides a culinary highlight with fine food.

Since 1971, the INTERNATIONALES DIXIELAND FESTIVAL had taken place every May uninterrupted. Its 50th birthday celebrations in May 2020 would have featured over 40 bands from 12 countries playing almost 300 hours of jazz.
Almost 50 festival years mean joy, emotion, often sleepless nights for organisers, and a special audience loyal throughout to this festival – theirs and ours.